My black lab, about 12-14 years old, won't eat. I feed him 2x/day and give him Iams Mature dry dog food. He had diarrhea about four days ago, and I haven't seen him eat since. He also seems to be groaning more than usual, but that might be my imagination. I tried to give him a slice of cheese to see if he would eat something other than his dog food. He ate it, although nowhere near as enthusiastically as he normally would. He normally has a pig ear as an evening treat, and he's not into that, either. At first I thought he was just stressed because I had been gone on a business trip the week before, but now I'm worried.

If it matters, he's up to date on vacs. He also gets heartworm and flea and tick prevention monthly.

Does he need a trip to the vet?? I'm in a very rural area where it's hard to get to a vet easily, so I wanted to see what it might be before trying to do that.

Pigs' ears can cause GI upset if overeaten, similar to the situation with rawhides, although obstructions are less common because the ears are not usually shaped into solid chunks. There is, whowever, a less widely known danger associated with pig ears: A recent FDA advisory published by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human services on Oct.1, 1999, stated that there is "a nationwide public health warning alerting consumers about a number of recent cases in Canada of human illnesses apparently related to contact with dog chew products made from pork or beef-derived materials (e.g., pigs ears, beef jerky treats, smoked hooves, pigs skins, etc.)... FDA is urging pet owners... to handle them carefully. Anyone who comes in contact with these treats should wash their hands with hot water and soap. Initial reports of illnesses came from Canada and involved Canadian products, but subsequent examination of similar products produced in the U.S. indicate that all pet chew products of this type may pose a risk...."